A few weeks ago I managed to walk into my local Walmart apparently immediately after they stocked the trading cards. There were quite a few brands to choose from. Knowing that this was unlikely to last, I decided to grab three blasters, one from each of three sets. And it was a shockingly decent result from each blaster.
Up first is Bowman:
1. Hector Ramos. This is my first card of Ramos. According to Sox Prospects, Ramos is Boston's 28th ranked prospect. The middle infielder was an international free agent in 2025. It may be awhile before we really start hearing much about him.
2. Justin Gonzales. This is the big one from this. First off, it's a Mojo Refractor, and secondly, Gonzales has become a big-time prospect. He is now Boston's #2 prospect and he has prodigious power. He is a massive human at 6'6" and 270 lbs. Boston turned down requests for him in deals so he seems ticketed for the team soon.
3. Nelly Taylor. Taylor was an 11th-round pick for the Red Sox in 2023. He is not rated at this time. He is in Double-A at this time.
Up next is Topps Series 2:
1. Wilyer Abreu. Abreu seems headed on his way to a third Gold Glove Award. His advanced defensive metrics have him far and away the best defensive right-fielder in the game. Coupled with his 20+ homer power and Abreu is a seriously underrated player.
2. Payton Tolle. Tolle is quickly becoming one of my favorite players. He recently had a 14-strikeout game. I am not sure how he is not getting more support for the Rookie of the Year. I know he is not going to win, but he has been a consistently good pitcher all year.
3. Trevor Story. This has been yet another lost season for Story. He has not played since May and was struggling even then.
4. Trevor Story/Jarren Duran. Here are two players who were expected to be big parts of the offense and have not lived up to expectations. As said, Story has been injured most of the season. Duran is currently hitting .201. He is on pace for a 20/20 season, but strikes out at an alarming rate and has a 72 OPS+.
5. Kutter Crawford. I'm not sure why Crawford even has a card in the set. He has not pitched since 2024 until just recently when he made his first appearance on a rehab stint. This spot could have been used for someone like Greg Weissert who has yet to have a card with the Red Sox or Patrick Sandoval who had been rehabbing and made it back a few weeks ago.
Last but not least is Donruss:
1. Marcelo Mayer. I pull a lot of Mayer cards. Hopefully that will switch over to someone actually still on the team. Mayer was traded to the Giants at the trading deadline for Erik Miller.
2. Jason Varitek. Holy crap, I pulled a Varitek card. He remains my favorite player of all time. This is card number 1,006.
3. Kristian Campbell. I also seem to pull a lot of Campbell cards. He has been hitting a lot in Worcester lately. I wonder if he could make it back to the Majors this year yet. I also wonder where he will play going forward. I could see Boston cutting ties with both Jarren Duran and Masataka Yoshida over the offseason, which would open up a potential spot for him as a roving outfielder/designated hitter.
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